Writing Fiction: Dialogue

What is dialogue? It refers to the words spoken between characters in a short story or novel. It also refers to a character speaking to himself or herself within the short story or novel. The fiction writer uses dialogue to reveal the personality of a character, create conflict, and advance the narrative. In “The Art and Craft of Storytelling”, author Nancy Lamb suggests that the “goal of writing dialogue is to not mimic how people speak; the goal of the writer’s dialogue is to create the illusion of authenticity.”

This article defines the two types of dialogue, identifies the purpose of dialogue, and provides twelve suggestions on how the aspiring fiction writer can compose dialogue.

Definition of Dialogue

A writer can create two types of dialogue in a story: Inner dialogue and outer dialogue. Inner dialogue refers to the words spoken by a character to himself or herself. To do this, the…